


charcoal truths and honeyed lies (but darling for you i'd drown)

by PER5EFONE



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Developing Relationship, Multi, Slow Build, Tag As I Go, Teacher-Student Relationship, kinda enemies to friends to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:41:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27093706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PER5EFONE/pseuds/PER5EFONE
Summary: “Mr. Jaeger,” thunderstorm eyes pierce him to the spot, the grey orbs lazily appraising him from head to toe, lingering along the harsh lines and columns of his tan throat before finally dragging his gaze back to find Eren’s.“You’re late.”A flash of something heats through the opaque ice of his gaze, and warmth pools in Eren's core and flushes his cheeks, but before he can decipher it, it’s gone....Fuck.(A rewriting of Rich Little Lies)
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	charcoal truths and honeyed lies (but darling for you i'd drown)

**Author's Note:**

> Heya, welcome to the new and improved version of Rich Little Lies! I'm so happy you all are here, and I hope you enjoy traveling on this journey with me <3
> 
> Title comes from a poem I wrote:  
> im sorry  
> dripped softly from  
> your lips like  
> honey
> 
> as if i didn't damn  
> myself  
> already

Chapter I

  
  


The crisp autumn air flirts with the leaves cascading from the color-changing trees as Eren Jaeger stands before the impressive golden gates of Trost Academy. Students mill about along the garden walkway, niches and clicks already forming within their ranks, and a bead of nerves slither down Eren’s neck as he takes it all in. 

The gates open their jaws to the garden, which resides on either side of the archaic stone semi-circle driveway, with a notably beautiful array of wildflowers within the grassy plain of the middle. Unable to take his eyes off the display, Eren notes the fountain between the folds of the flowers. Twin marble roses dance their way together in the center, their thorns spitting water from the peeks and bleeding into the pools of water at their base. The Academy’s symbol. 

Mild panic aside, the grounds are dazzling, but the over-the-top grandeur inspires a bit of fear, and Eren isn’t quite sure if he should say to hell with his scholarship or if he should straighten his spine out and tough it out. 

Finally working up the courage to step past the bars of the ~~horrific~~ beautiful gates, the brunette collides with a body and sends both of them crashing to the ground. 

“Yo, watch it,” Eren doesn’t even have to look up to know the other party has a sneer taped onto their face, and he’s tempted to brush it off, but mama didn’t raise a push-over.

Finding solid footing, he looks over and finds a-

A horse? 

Confusion must have shown on his face, because the guy across from him with his horrid bleach-blonde-undercut-styled hair scowls deeper and opens his mouth- 

“Sorry!” a panting voice comes running up beside the blonde, placing a hand on his shoulder as he gasps for air, “It’s early in the morning, and Jean hasn’t had his cup of coffee yet.” 

The new guy beams at Eren, his soft brown eyes lighting up sincerely, and his scattered freckles giving him an instant ‘boy next door feel’. “My name’s Marco, by the way. I see you’ve unfortunately met Jean,” Marco gets an elbow to the ribs for that comment, but Eren could see the miniscule smile that graced Jean’s features. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before; are you new?”

“Yeah, I- um- I’m new,” Eren stumbles his way through, ‘New Student Anxiety’ already kicking in, and he finds himself wishing to be anywhere but this awkward conversation. He mentally berates himself for always ending up like this, but he figures nervously picking his way through the day's conversations wouldn’t be a terrible way to get through introductions. “I’m Eren,” he accompanies with a slight wave. 

Making his forgotten presence known, Jean rolls his eyes and grabs Marco by his sleeve. 

“It’s nearly half past seven, and I still have no caffeine in my system. We’re leaving.” 

Marco’s neatly styled hair tousles a bit as he’s dragged away, but he mouths ‘sorry’ back at Eren when their gaze catches. 

The brunette watches them leave with a sinking feeling that the majority of his time here will be filled with incitive assholes. 

➹➹➹  
  


“Mr. Jaeger,” the Head of the Board of Directors lifts her gaze from the honestly insane pile of recommendations and transcripts and applications and references that the brunette had copied for her the week prior, flooding her desk with neatly organized piles. “Your paperwork is precise and proper; I expected no less, but us Board still had to go ahead and make sure.”

Her piercing brown eyes find his through the top of her lenses. 

His back straightens, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Your resumes from your previous college were excellent, as were your grades, and I expect them to be held to the same standards while you are enrolled here.” She stands from behind her desk, setting the papers she was glancing over to the side, and begins a slow walk around the room, Eren turning his head to follow her. “We are taking a gamble on you, Mr. Jaeger, and I hope you take this opportunity to advance yourself and commence the stages for your future. We’re expecting much from you.”

Eren pales, a light sheen of sweat forming just beneath his hairline. An immense amount of pressure was just placed upon his shoulders, and he’s not quite sure if he can live up to their strict expectations. Sure, Trost Academy is one of the best colleges in the country, maybe even the world, especially for those from influential families beginning to make a name for themselves before they’re sent out into the world completely, but all Eren wants to pursue is design, maybe throw in some marketing, communications, photography, painting, drawing, and well- anything to deal with the fashion-modeling industry really. Since he was a small child, he’s always felt drawn to the entertainment business, so he began practicing base-level skills like drawing and art as soon as he was able. His mother, Carla, was incredibly supportive of his ambitions, and helped him out with anything that he might have needed: paying for extra-curricular activities after school, and even some that were more high-stakes. His works have been featured in many galleries, both charcoal drawings and photography, though his pieces have never been the main focus, only side-works. But still, they were great gigs for starting out. Now he’s trying for even bigger scenes, and it seems that the college is placing a lot of faith in him. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he parrots back, watching as she comes to a standstill next to the large oak doors, her knuckles making a resounding knock against the wood. 

“Very well,” she nods, and she takes a step to the side as the doors crack open and in walks a figure that he’s read about in articles.

Armin Arlert isn’t much to look at, besides his chin-length golden-stranded hair and shockingly blue eyes, but boy is there much to talk about. Eren remembers reading about him when he was applying for Trost’s prestigious scholarships. The man has one of the highest IQs possibly ever recorded, not that Eren would exactly know, making him one of Trost’s most valued students. The blond even has a teaching degree that he got after he graduated highschool at the age of 12, going to college and successfully getting his masters in teaching, while also pursuing a degree in psychology and business. Armin Arlert plays absolutely no games; the articles written in his favor even agree that this scrawny 19 year-old is a genius of an entirely different level. 

That being said, it still throws Eren off when the blond smiles at him, one hundred percent sincere and happy, the brilliance of it rivaling that of the suns.

“Jaeger, this is Armin Arlert. Arlert, this is Eren Jaeger,” the woman introduces them both to each other, and Eren offers a slight smile of his own towards Armin. “Armin will be your guide and help you become familiar with the working of our campus.”

Eren nods, standing himself, and gathering the small bag he brought to house his papers that now reside on the desk in front of him. 

“Nice to meet you, Armin.”

“You too! Whenever you’re ready I can give you a basic tour! I’m also fairly positive you’re my new roommate; my other one may or may not have been expelled. But anyways, welcome to Trost Academy!” Armin grins with his response, holding the door open for Eren once he settles his bad on his shoulder. 

“Thanks! I’m actually ready now, if that’s not too much trouble,” he scratches his cheek nervously. 

Armin waves as he walks out the doors in front of the brunette, “No problem! Thank you, Madame Director!”

The woman barely contains her neutral disposition as Armin cheerily addresses her, a small smile gracing her features gently. 

“Thank _you_ , Armin. It’s always a pleasure,” she turns her gaze once again onto Trost’s newest student. “Jaeger,” she calls, and he freezes momentarily, “Trost Academy is honored to have you.”

He dazzles her with a bright smile at her words, a little bit of tension leaving his shoulders because of the warm tone.

“It’s an honor to be here.”

➹➹➹  
  
  


The campus was perhaps one of the most beautiful places Eren has ever had the pleasure of exploring. Tall archaic stone walls and arches. Mosaic flowers and grappling vines cling and spill out from the gardens in their haste to encompass the campus with their artistry. Students mill about in little nooks and crannies throughout the grounds, idling underneath the willow trees, reading on the benches, eating at the picnic tables. The elegance of the place is apparent down to even the perfectly trimmed hedges, and Eren feels extremely overwhelmed and slightly out of place. 

“Yeah, it’s a lot to take in, in the beginning,” Armin nods sympathetically when he notices Eren’s growing panic. “But I promise you it’s not all that bad once you become used to it!” 

Eren smiles weakly at the blond’s attempt to lessen his worry. It helps calm his nerves marginally, but seeing the grandeur up close instead of through a computer screen is terribly daunting for him. 

Since leaving the office of the Head Director, Armin has kindly shown him through the main buildings and area of the gorgeous campus: the auditorium, galleries, dining center, humanities wing, business wing, library, and the gardens scattered throughout. Currently, they’re heading to the dorms, which are usually fairly quiet around this time, considering it’s pushing close to evening and everyone is heading out for food. 

All their walking around has reminded Eren of the tension that he’s held throughout the grueling day, and he can’t wait to finally be able to relax in his new space.

 _Trost Academy_ , he thinks, chewing on his bottom lip, anxiety flashing through his mind. _I can’t believe I’m actually here. I mean- I know I am; I obviously got accepted otherwise I wouldn’t be here but still._

Consumed with his swirling thoughts, Eren doesn’t even realize that they’ve stopped walking right before entering a towering four-story building until Armin clears his throat. 

“Well, here we are! This is where our campus apartments are located. The dormitories and residence halls are on the other side of the grounds. Dorms and res-halls typically house our freshman, and everyone else is placed in the apartments. This one here, where we live, is called Maria.”

Eren makes a sound in acknowledgement, following the blond as they enter the lobby of the Maria Apartments, resembling the lobby of a high-class hotel foyer decked out in white marbles and bright golds. Armin leads him over to an elevator on the right, pushing the button for the third floor, and they’re silent as they ride up. 

Room 318 houses anything a college student could ever need to live comfortably. The minute they walk in, Eren’s assaulted with it’s soft grey walls and plush white carpet. He steps in further, noting how the left has a kitchen with beautiful black granite countertops, tile flooring, and a steel grey fridge. A small island the same black as the counters separates the kitchen from the living room, which has a dark grey couch and matching armchair and coffee table. Full bay windows look out across a small lake dotted with flowers and lily pads behind the building, a forest surrounding it on the other side. A giant tv mounts itself on the wall parallel from the couch with a Playstation and DVD player already hooked up, a couple movies scattered about. 

Eren walks back out into the small entrance of the room, and explores to his right. A small hallway holds a closet for shoes and jackets, a lone broom and dustpan leaning in one of the corners. A door that he assumes leads to the bathroom is directly across from two other doors that he guesses are the rooms. 

“The apartments are shared by two students. You can request an apartment for three or four people, but students usually like having only one other roommate. My room is the closest to us, and yours is the farthest. There’s a walk-in closet in the room, and there’s a desk and chair for studying and all that! I heard that you came with a small moving truck, and I believe everything should be all set up already in the room for you!” Armin gestures to the farthest door while taking off his shoes and light jacket, hanging it up in the closet in the hallway. “The bathroom is set up with a bathtub, but there’s also a glass shower though. It’s a little weird,” he says as he opens the main door to the bathroom, showing how the first room is just the sink, mirror, and vanity. “The door behind this one is for the toilet and tub and shower. It’s so that if someone has to shower but someone else wants the sink, they can easily work around each other because of the door separation.”

“Oh, I guess that actually makes a lot of sense.”

“Right? I shower in the mornings, and my other roommate was vocal about how annoying it was since he also wanted to shower then,” he shrugs with his answer, turning around to walk back into the kitchen. “Do you drink coffee? Tea? I’m going to boil water if you’d like any of those.”

Eren opens the door to his room and notes with relief that his stuff is placed as he wanted it to. A lofted bed sits against the far wall right next to the window, his green sheets complementing the decor of the room, and the mahogany desk resting below. 

“I’d love some coffee, yeah!”

He sets his bag on the desk chair, taking off his shoes, and walks back out to sit down at the island as Armin waltzes around the kitchen prepping their coffee. He watches him for a minute, allowing the silence between them to settle peacefully. 

Contrary to the article’s opinions, Armin has a warm charm that definitely draws people in and helps them relax in his presence. Every move he seems to make has purpose and grace to it; there’s absolutely no way that he isn’t aware of how the gentle lines of his being compliment his quiet allure. Eren finds he likes him. 

“What are you studying?” Armin angles his body towards him, pouring the boiling water into a french press already filled with the grounds of a wonderful-smelling coffee. 

The brunette is shaken from his appreciation of his roommate, a light blush dusting it’s way across his cheeks. 

“I- um- I’m going for a Bachelor’s of Arts in Photography and Art & Design, with a couple minors in Communication and Marketing.”

Armin places a steaming cup in front of him, taking the side opposite of Eren. 

“That’s really cool! Trost has a really solid program for Art & Design, so I’m sure you’ll do well in that. I’ve heard about some of your works, actually, and I’m kinda a fan,” now it’s Armin’s turn to blush, hiding his face by taking a sip of the dark liquid.

Eren gapes at him. _There’s no way!_ He opens his mouth to ask-

“My favorite piece is definitely the charcoal painting you did titled _Her_ , where you drew the woman with short black hair with her head tilted back, showing her throat and her arms reaching out above her! There’s just something about that piece that feels like it perfectly captures the idea of yearning that was so stunning yet heart-wrenching!” 

Armin rambles some more about the works he’s seen of Eren’s, and the brunette can’t help but send him a smile as he listens to him. 

“-I went to a gallery where your works were featured for the first time maybe a couple years ago? I don’t know, but I definitely believe that you should have a show of your own instead of being background noise for other artists. I’ve been following your career since the beginning, and I’m so excited to see how you’ll advance here!” 

Armin meets his gaze and sends him a supportive grin from the rim of his cup, and Eren knows that he made the right decision in applying for Trost Academy. 


End file.
